Thomson Lawrie

Piano Tuner/Technician

Since 1979

Over 40 years experience with Yamaha, Kawai, Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, Petrof, Samick, Young Chang, Heintzman, Mason & Risch and many more.....

Book A Tuning...

Repairs...

Restoration...

Piano Repairs



Often when a customer calls for piano tuning it actually a broken part that has prompted the call.


Buyer Beware
Most piano owners are completely unaware that there is no government certification of piano tuners/technicians. Because other trades such as electricians, mechanics etc. are licensed, piano owners assume that any piano technician will be trained and qualified to be working on their piano. In fact, anyone can call themselves a piano tuner or piano technician, even if they have no training at all. As a result, piano owners need to exercise caution when it comes to repairs to their pianos. It is always a good idea to get a second opinion when the tuner suggests an expensive repair that will fix a problem that the owner was not aware existed.


Common Minor Repairs
Sticking Keys – Sticking keys are most common in new pianos. Changes in humidity that have happened during shipping can cause keys to stick. Sticking keys can also show up in older pianos when the wood and felt swell with very high humidity in the middle of the summer or when the wooden keys shrink in low humidity conditions during the peak of the heating season. This problem is easy to remedy and often there is no additional charge to ease a few sticking keys when the technician is already there to tune the piano.


Buzzes, Rattles & Squeaks
Squeaking action parts aren’t usually expensive to remedy. Often a few drops of center pin lubricant will fix the problem. A few rattling notes in the action are often a quick repair but if the action is rattling throughout it may be an indication that the action is need of an overhaul. Buzzing can be caused by loose cabinet parts but may also mean that the soundboard is in need of repair.


Broken Action Parts
For sure this will cost extra on top of tuning if the technician has parts to replace. It is quite reasonable to ask for an estimate before proceeding with the repair. An experienced technician should be able to estimate the time involved before starting the repairs.


Broken Strings
Treble strings aren’t expensive. I carry a full range of piano wire gauges with me on all service calls. Bass strings however are expensive. They have to be custom made for your particular piano. This involves taken the measurements from the old broken string and having a new string made from them. It also requires coming back for a second appointment with the new string to install it and tune it.


Missing Keytops - Key Recovering
Often older pianos have missing or chipped keytops. The original keytops may have been ivory or plastic. If there are just a few missing ivories they can usually be replaced with ivories that have been salvaged from other old pianos. New ivory is not available as there is a world wide ban on trade in ivory, for good reason. Ivories discolour with age so a perfect colour match is often hard to achieve with older ivories. Simulated ivory keytops made of plastic are often a better colour match than salvaged ivories.
Often the original keyboard in an older piano may be so compromised that it is a better option to replace all the remaining keytops with new plastic keytops. This is the same material that is used in all new pianos and the key recovering can make the keyboard look like new. If you are interesed in keyboard restoration you can get in touch with me using the contact information on this website.


Serving - Niagara Falls, St. Catharines, Welland, Port Colborne, Jordan, Vineland, Beamsville, Grimsby, Dunnville, Stoney Creek, Hamilton, Ancaster & Dundas

To Book A Piano Tuning Or Service Call...

Call 905-945-9455 Monday through Friday 9AM to 6 PM

Text 905-945-9455 any time

Send an email to tune@pianotech.ca

New customers leaving phone messages, texts or emails please include the name of your city or town as well as any preferences for potential days or times of day that you might have for an appointment so I can be better prepared to suggest available times from my schedule. If you know the brand name of your piano and/or approximate age that is also useful, although optional information. Pictures sent through text or email are welcomed.

Tuning
Piano tuning - $145 plus HST

Pitch Raising + Tuning - $165 plus HST

Piano Repair



Over 40 years experience with Yamaha, Kawai, Baldwin, Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, Petrof, Samick, Young Chang, Heintzman, Mason & Risch and many more.....


old keytops

People will often make an appointment to tune a piano because something is squeaking, rattling, sticking or not playing at all. It's a good idea to combine the repair with a tuning rather than pay for a separate service call. Often these small repairs only take a few minutes to remedy when the piano is already opened for tuning. It's always best to mention any additional problems with your piano when booking a tuning so some extra time can be time can be allotted to address the problem.

Some of the most common small repairs are sticking keys, broken action parts, missing or cracked keytops, pedal problems and broken strings. Most of these can be addressed during a tuning appointment. I carry an inventory of hundreds of parts with me on all tuning visits so I am able to remedy most common repair issues on a single visit. Of course, not all repair issues are small. Some pianos may need more extensive work. I will only recommend more extensive restoration if I feel your piano is worth the investment.    More on repairs...

Send me an email - tune@pianotech.ca

Call or Text 905-945-9455 

Restoration Services


Hammer Replacement
Often as a piano ages, the hammer felt packs down , the hammers flatten out and a piano can become excessively bright and metallic sounding. These hammers can be improved with reshaping and voicing but often replacement is a better option for 30 to 40 year old hammers.

Restringing
Most pianos will never have their original strings replaced . However, a high quality instrument over 40 years old can be improved significantly but replacing the old dull and brittle strings with new strings. This is particularly noticeable in the bass section where the wound strings can become dull and “thumpy” sounding.

Action Restoration
Action regulation can often bring new life back to an older instrument but some piano actions are worn to the point where they are noisy or feel excessively light and uncontrollable and may need new centre pins, bushing felt or even new action parts to restore touch and responsiveness comparable to a new piano. This kind of restoration is usually reserved for valuable instruments that warrant the investment.

Key Bushing Replacement
Replacing the felt bushings on a set of keys restores a firm solid feel to the keyboard

Key Top Replacement
Replacing a whole set of key tops with new is often preferable to replacing missing or chipped key coverings especially when there are many to be replaced or the original keys have yellowed significantly.



Call or text 905-945-9455 or email tune@pianotech.ca for a quote.

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Thomson Lawrie

PianoTechncian

Jordan Station, ON

905-945-9455